Reunited Through Tragedy
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: House was never found after driving his car into Cuddy's house. Now years later, he returns with a child and in need of help. How will Cuddy react when she sees him? Will she have him arrested or will she help him and in the process rediscover old feelings?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own House MD or any of its characters.**

**Reunited Through Tragedy **

**A/N: In this story, House was never found after crashing into Cuddy's house. Also, Cuddy never left the hospital and Wilson didn't die**

Doctor James Wilson was in his office working on a mountain of paperwork. This was what happened when you put your paperwork off until the last minute. Normally he didn't wait so long to do paperwork, but he'd had a rough week with all his patients. He'd lost two this week and another had taken a turn for the worse. Needless to say, he'd had a lot of long days and nights.

Wilson soon heard his door open and close. He quickly finished what he was working on and looked up. What he saw when he did shocked him. It was someone he hadn't seen in nearly five years. "House."

"Wilson," House said as leaned against the door.

"What the hell are you doing here? I can't believe you would even dare step one foot into this building," Wilson said. It was certainly gutsy of House to come here after what he did to Cuddy.

"Well, I've always been a risk taker," House said dryly.

"Get out of here, House. Leave before Cuddy finds out you're here and calls the police," Wilson said. She would too. Cuddy had not forgiven House for what he did and she probably never would. She would turn him in in a second.

"No," House said. He'd gone there for a reason and he wasn't leaving. He couldn't.

"If you're here for me for friendship, you came to the wrong place. I'm done, House. There's no going back after what you did. You vandalized Cuddy's house! You scared the hell out of her!" Wilson exclaimed.

"I don't care about Cuddy!" House yelled. Okay, so that wasn't really true. He cared about her more than he could say. He'd never stopped loving her and he never would. But right now, he had bigger things to worry about. Cuddy was the last thing on his mind. "And frankly, right now, I don't really care about you either."

Wilson was a bit surprised by his old friend's statements. He'd figured House was there because he'd destroyed his life even further and wanted someone to pick up the pieces.

House took a couple of steps further and tossed a file he'd been holding on Wilson's desk. "I don't need a friend. I need a doctor.

Wilson glanced down at the file and then glared back at House. "What is this? Another cancer scheme? You think you can get back into my life by pretending to be sick?"

"This is not a damn game! Look at the file! It's not me!" House screamed.

House's tone of voice had Wilson shocked, so shocked that he immediately opened the file. He quickly looked through the contents and looked up at House with a stunned expression. "Is this real?"

"You really think I'd make something like this up? Okay, don't answer that. Yeah, it's real. I didn't come here for your friendship or forgiveness. I came for your help. You can hate me as much as you want, but please help me," House begged.

The desperation in House's voice really got to Wilson. He'd never heart the man so scared, and he'd certainly never heard him beg. There was no way he'd be able to turn him away. Well, he wouldn't be able to do that anyway. He could never turn a cancer patient away because of personal reasons. "Sit down."

House sighed and immediately took a seat in the chair across from his former friend.

"How did this happen?" Wilson asked.

"Well, you'd be able to answer better than me. You're the cancer expert," House said. He knew that wasn't what he meant, but he couldn't help the comment. It was who he was.

"No, that's not what I meant and you know it," Wilson said.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that he exists and I wanna make sure it stays that way. You're the best at what you do and I need the best for him. Will you help?" House asked.

"If that's what you want, yes, but maybe you should go somewhere else? If Cuddy sees you, there's a very good chance she's going to call the police. I may not be able to talk her out of it," Wilson said. He hoped that Cuddy would understand the situation and refrain from calling the cops, but he couldn't be sure. She was still really angry.

"I don't care about Cuddy or the police. I have much bigger problems right now. All I care about is getting him the best medical care possible. That's you," House said.

"Where is he?" Wilson asked.

"I didn't bring him with me. I wasn't sure you'd agree. Hoped you would, but I couldn't be sure," House said.

"Well, bring him in. He needs to be admitted immediately. Uh, I'm gonna take my own labs. I'm sure the doctor who made the diagnosis is good, but I always take my own labs," Wilson said.

"That's fine. The only thing I draw the line on is the biopsy. I won't put him through that again," House said firmly.

"I understand. The labs should be enough," Wilson said.

House stood up from his seat. "I'll go get him."

Wilson nodded and watched him leave. He then looked back down at the file. It belonged to a three-year-old boy named Logan House. And he was House's son.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Wilson was a few feet outside his office with a nurse getting preparations ready for House's little boy. It was still weird to even think about it. House having a kid out there wasn't that strange, but the idea of him _being _a father was. He just never imagined House capable of parenting. Sure, he'd spent time with Rachel when he and Cuddy dated, but that was different than actually parenting your own child.

Wilson looked over soon and saw House walking towards him with a little boy with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes balanced on his hip. He immediately walked over and smiled at the little boy. "Hi there. You must be Logan. My name's James. It's very nice to meet you."

"Don't listen to him, Champ. He's Wilson, not James. He's gonna help you get better. Say hi," House told his son.

"Hi," Logan said with a big smile on his face.

Wilson's heart was melted by the little boy. He seemed like such a happy child. He was all smiles and laughs. It was kids like this that saddened Wilson. He knew very well that little Logan's happiness wouldn't last long. It would go away with his first cancer treatment.

Wilson ruffled the little boy's hair. "Your dad's right, little man. I'm gonna do everything I can to make you better."

Logan turned away and started playing with a toy truck he had in his hands like he didn't have a care in the world.

Wilson turned to House. "So we're gonna get him into a room first and then we'll start the tests. I'll only do the non-invasive ones. Nurse Holly will take him to get settled," he said as he motioned the woman older.

The young woman smiled at House and Logan. "Here, I'll take him now."

House glared at her. "Get those hands away from me before I knock them off with my cane. Logan's not going anywhere without me."

"House, you know procedure. You gotta let the nurse do her job. Logan will be fine. I promise you'll be able to see him soon," Wilson assured him.

House hesitated. He didn't want to let Logan go even for a minute. Logan was only three-years-old. He understood nothing that was going on. Being sent off with some stranger was probably going to terrify him. It didn't seem like he had a choice though. He was the parent this time, not the doctor. "Okay, pal. You're gonna go with the lady for a little bit. I'll be there soon."

"You're not coming?" Logan asked slightly afraid.

"I'll be there soon, I promise. I just have to talk to the doctor for a minute. I see you before you know it," House promised.

"Okay, Daddy," Logan said

House reluctantly handed his son over to the nurse.

Wilson watched the scene in awe. This was not something he ever expected to see. House was so loving and attentive to that little boy. It was almost like he was a different person. There was no trace of the misanthropic, bitter doctor he'd seen a few years ago.

"Alright, what now?" House asked

"Well, like I said, we'll run the tests and if they come back like the others like expected, we'll discuss treatment options. Um, I'm gonna have to tell her," Wilson said.

House didn't bother asking who he meant. He was very clear on who Wilson was talking about. "I can't deal with her right now, Wilson. I've got enough issues without her coming and screaming at me for the past. I'm very well aware of what I did. I can't change it, so there's no point discussing it. And frankly, I don't have it in me to deal with it now. My main focus has to be my son. No one else matters."

"I understand that, believe me. But if she sees you or hears that you're here, she's going to call the police and have you arrested. I think we can both agree that that's the last thing your son needs right now. He needs you to get him though this. So I need to go tell her what's going on, and I have to do it before finds out you're here," Wilson said.

"It's a little late for that," House said as stared over Wilson's shoulders.

Wilson turned around to see Cuddy standing a few feet away with cold, angry look on her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Cuddy felt her blood boil as she stared at her ex who was standing just a few feet away. She couldn't believe he had the nerve to show up at her hospital after what he did. Did he really think he could just show up like nothing ever happened? Well, if that was the case, he had another thing coming.

Cuddy stalked towards House with a look of fury in her eyes "You bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?"

Wilson immediately went over to her and pulled her back. "Cuddy, please, you don't understand."

"How dare you come back here after all these years? You have no right!" Cuddy yelled.

"Cuddy, please stop. Come with me," Wilson said as he took her by the arm and led her down to his office.

Cuddy shook Wilson off of her the second they were in his office and went over to his phone. She picked it up and dialed a number.

"Who are you calling?" Wilson asked as he followed her over to his desk. He knew the answer of course. She was pissed. She was calling the police.

Cuddy put the phone to her ear and glared at Wilson. "Who do you think I'm calling? The police. If he thinks he can come back here and not suffer the consequences for what he did, he's wrong!"

Wilson immediately placed his finger over the button to disconnect the call.

Cuddy slammed the phone down and glared daggers at him. "Damn it, Wilson! You let him in again, didn't you? You swore you were done after the last time, but you're right back to where you were before. You're gonna enable him right until the end, aren't you?"

"It's not like that," Wilson said.

"Of course it is! You've never been able to walk away from House. No matter what he's done, you always go back! You always will. Well, don't expect me to do the same. He's gonna answer for it this time," Cuddy said before picking up the phone again. She looked at Wilson with a glare that just dared him to try to stop her again.

"Cuddy, you can't," Wilson said. He understood why Cuddy wanted House arrested, and to an extent, she was right, but it just couldn't happen. Logan needed his father right now. He couldn't go through what he was about to without him.

"Watch me," Cuddy said as she dialed.

"His son has cancer," Wilson told her.

That got Cuddy to stop dead in her tracks. No matter what reason Cuddy considered Wilson possibly giving her for wanting to give House a pass, that wasn't even in the ballpark.

Cuddy hung up the phone. "What did you say?"

"House has a three-year-old son who has been diagnosed with cancer. That's why he came here. It wasn't for you or even really for me. He came for his son. He came because he wanted to give his child the best medical treatment possible and he believes I can provide it," Wilson said.

Cuddy stared in shock. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. House had a child? That sentence almost didn't compute it was crazy. House was no parent. He hated almost all kids. The only kid he'd even given the time of day was Rachel, and that certainly couldn't be considered parental. "House has a son."

"Yeah. His name is Logan. He's an amazing little boy. I just met him," Wilson said.

"And he has cancer?"

Wilson nodded.

"Wilson, if this is a lie to get me to change my mind about calling the police, I swear to God I'll kill you," Cuddy said. She knew of course Wilson wouldn't do something like that, but this whole thing just didn't make any sense. It was insane.

"You know I wouldn't do that. But you could always check the intake records if you're still having an issue believing it. Logan House is being admitted as we speak," Wilson said.

"What kind of cancer is it?" Cuddy asked.

"Soft tissue. RMS," Wilson said.

"Oh God," Cuddy said as she collapsed into Wilson's chair. RMS, or Rhabdomyosarcoma was a very aggressive cancer. The rates for survival were pretty good as long as there were no complications and the cancer didn't spread, but it was a very long and agonizing journey to get to remission.

"I'm gonna run my own tests just to be sure, but I don't expect any surprises. Cuddy, you know this cancer is highly aggressive. We're talking weeks and months of Chemotherapy and Radiation before I can remove the tumor," Wilson said. That little kid had one hell of a rough road ahead of him, so did House for that matter. It was not going to be easy.

"And you want me to let House off the hook," Cuddy said.

"Yes. Look, you have every right to be angry at House and want him punished, but you can't turn him in. Cuddy, I don't think you really understand the hell my patients go through, more specifically my child patients. Chemotherapy and radiation is difficult for adults to handle. Multiply that by a thousand and that's what the children go through. And do you know how they survive it?" Wilson asked.

Cuddy just looked away without saying a word.

"Their parents. They have their parents by their sides holding their hands and telling them that everything will be okay. I honestly don't think most of them would survive without that. Logan needs his father to help him though this. He needs his daddy to tell him that everything's gonna be okay. He's only three. He's not gonna understand what's going on. He's not gonna understand why the medicine designed to save his life is actually making him worse. Hell, he's not even gonna understand why he needs to be saved. All he'll understand is whether his father's there or whether he's not," Wilson said. He needed to impress upon Cuddy the importance of this. The treatments weren't the only things that got cancer patients through it. The people around them played a big part too, especially when the patient was a child. Logan couldn't do this without House.

Cuddy sighed. "This isn't fair."

"Maybe not, but what's happening to Logan is even less fair. You're a mother, Cuddy. Think about if God forbid Rachel were sick. How would you feel about her going thought it without you," Wilson asked.

Cuddy shuddered at the very idea. The thought of her little girl being sick was by itself enough to scare her nearly to death, but the idea of her going through it all by herself was almost unbearable. Rachel was almost eight now and Cuddy knew something like that would be terrible for her. How bad would it be for a three-year-old.

"I know how angry you are with House, Cuddy, but are you really so angry that you'd punish an innocent little boy for it. I don't think that you're the type of person that could do that. Am I wrong?" Wilson asked.

Cuddy shook her head and stood up. "No. That little boy doesn't deserve to suffer because his father's a bastard. You just keep him away from me."

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem. The only thing House cares about right now is getting his son healthy," Wilson said. House hadn't given Cuddy or anyone else a second thought. His only concern seemed to be Logan.

"Just make sure he stays away," Cuddy said before walking out of the office.


	3. Chapter 3

Wilson went to find House after his conversation with Cuddy. When he didn't find him where he left him, he figured he must have forced himself into Logan's room. Sure enough, when he got to the little boy's room, he found House by his side.

Logan was playing with the same toy truck Wilson saw with. He ran it over the bed and up House's good leg.

"Hey, don't run over my leg. Then Doctor Wilson would have two of us to deal with. We can't have that. He might go crazy if he has to deal with both of us," House said. The humor in his voice was very clear.

Logan giggled in response. "Daddy, it's just a toy."

House gasped in fake shock. "A toy? You mean it's not real? It can't hurt me?"

"No, it's too small," Logan told his father.

"Well, that's a relief. Daddy only has one good leg left," House said.

Once again, Wilson found himself mesmerized by the exchange. Never in the many years he'd known House had he seen him like this. He was so caring and attentive. This was not the House he remembered. The house he remembered didn't give a damn about anyone, except for maybe Cuddy and maybe even him to a certain extent. But he wasn't even like this with them. Even with them, he acted like an ass a lot. With Logan, it seemed to be different. This little boy had House's full attention. Could it be that the kid did the impossible? Could he have actually changed House?

House, sensing another presence, turned around to see Wilson standing in the doorway. "Hey. So did you send the wicked witch back to her castle?"

"There's a witch here?" Logan asked with fear in his voice.

House mentally slapped himself for making such a comment in front of his son. "No, buddy, there are no witches here. Daddy was trying to be funny."

"And failing," Wilson said while glaring slightly at House. He couldn't believe the man had the nerve to say that. Whether he was joking or not, it was wrong. He shouldn't be acting like Cuddy was the bad guy. House was the one that ran his car into her house, not the other way around. "So I take it you scared off the nurse."

"Oh, yeah, we ran Nurse Ratchet out of here," House said.

"Her name was Nurse Holly, Daddy," Logan said with a giggle.

"Eh, same difference," House said.

"Well, I'm gonna get her back in here to track some blood and start an IV. Then we'll do the scans," Wilson said.

"Do I have to get a shot?" Logan asked fearfully.

"Well, yes, but your daddy will be with you the whole time. He can hold your hand while it happens, and I promise it won't hurt a lot. It'll be over before you know it," Wilson assured the child.

"I don't like shots," Logan cried.

House turned around and squeezed his son's hand gently. "It's okay, pal. Daddy will be here while they do it. It'll be okay."

"Uh, House, can we speak outside?" Wilson asked.

Yeah. Daddy will be right back, Logan," House said before standing up and following his former friend out into the hallway.

"Okay, so once the tests are complete, I'll put a rush on them. I think we can both agree that the sooner we begin treatment the better," Wilson said.

"Yeah. So am I gonna be able to be by my son's side while he receives treatment or are the police on their way?" House asked.

"I convinced Cuddy not to call police. I told her what was going on and made it clear that having you arrested would only harm Logan. She agreed that that wouldn't be fair," Wilson said.

"Good," House said.

"You have to stay away from her though. She asked me to keep you away," Wilson said.

"Well, there goes my plan to stalk her," House said sarcastically. He had no intension on going after Cuddy. He had enough to worry about with Logan's health. He didn't need Cuddy's wrath added into the mix.

Wilson huffed in irritation. "House, would you at least pretend to have some kind of remorse for what you did. Do you even realize how badly you hurt her?"

"Wilson, my son has cancer. He could die! Do you really expect me to give a damn about something that happened five years ago?" House asked. The truth was he had a lot of regret for what he did then, but that regret had no place right now. His only priority right now was Logan. Nothing else in the world mattered to him more than his little boy.

Wilson sighed. "I get it, House. I get that your son is sick and I know devastating that is…"

"No, you don't. You don't have a clue. You don't know what it's like to hear the word 'cancer' uttered in reference to your own son. You have no idea what it's like to think about the things he's gonna have to go through. You would think it would be better because I'm a doctor and I know what to expect, but it's the opposite. Because I do know what to expect. I know the kind of hell my son's gonna go through," House said.

"House…" Wilson trailed off. He didn't know what to say. House was right, he couldn't really understand. He'd never been on that side of the whole doctor-patient thing. Just like House never had been before now. It had to be a living hell.

"You want me to worry about Cuddy. You want me to spend my energy being upset over something that happened five years ago? Something that I can't change or do anything about? I can't do that. I don't have the time or the energy to worry about it. Every ounce of energy inside me is focused on my son and that's where it's gonna stay. If that makes me a heartless bastard, so be it," House said

"Daddy!" Logan's voice called out from the next room."

House looked at House for a minute before disappearing into his son's room.


	4. Chapter 4

Cuddy made her way towards the MRI lab. She needed to talk to Wilson and she was told that was where he was. She wanted to find out exactly how long she would have the 'pleasure' of House's company at her hospital. She knew it was a little selfish under the circumstances, but she couldn't help but focus on the discomfort having him around was going to cause her.

Cuddy walked into the lab and found Wilson there about to put some scans on the board.

Wilson turned the second he heard someone enter. "Oh, hey. Do you need something?"

"Well, I don't know how to ask this without sounding incredibly heartless, but how long will House be around?" Cuddy asked. She didn't mean to come off unfeeling, although she was sure she did. She knew that a child's life was in jeopardy and she didn't mean to worsen that in anyway. She just wanted House out of her life as soon as possible.

"Well, without having a treatment plan ready yet, I can only guess that it's going to be several months. Curing cancer is a process, as I'm sure you know. We're talking months at least. I'm sorry, Cuddy. I just couldn't say no," Wilson told her.

"Of course not. I would never want you to. I mean, we're a hospital. We don't turn away patients because we don't like their family members. I just want this to be over as soon as possible. I in no way want to inhibit that child's recovery though. God, I still can't believe House has a son," Cuddy said. It was unbelievable to her that House had a child. House didn't care about anyone but himself. How in the world could he be a parent?

"Yeah, I know. It's hard to believe, huh? House and parenthood just don't seem like they should go together. But he's actually a pretty good dad," Wilson said. He'd only seen House with Logan a couple of times and that was enough to know that he was a good father. He was so patient and understanding with Logan. He was everything he wasn't with everybody else in the world.

Cuddy gave him a 'yeah right' look.

"No, I'm serious. You haven't seen him with that little boy, Cuddy. He's so good with him. I've never seen him like that with anybody," Wilson said.

"That's something I'd have to see to believe, not that it matters. It doesn't change what he's done," Cuddy said.

"No, it doesn't," Wilson agreed. "But then again, I don't think it has to. I don't think it's something he is to make up for the past. I think being a good father is just something he yearns

to be for his son."

"He's pulling you back in. You realize that, right?" Cuddy asked.

"No. He's not pulling anybody in, at least not intentionally. His sole concern is his little boy. Nothing else matters to him right not," Wilson said. No matter what else, he was sure of that. House had made that fact perfectly clear. Logan was his only priority right now.

"What's he like? House's son?" Cuddy asked. She didn't know why she was so interested, but she was. She wanted to know what a child of House's was like.

Wilson smiled. "Oh, he's an amazing kid. He's so loving and so happy. It saddens me because I'm going to be taking that away from him shortly."

"To save his life, Wilson," Cuddy said.

"I know. I just wish the treatment wasn't so taxing," Wilson said.

"And I'm sure it doesn't make it any better that this particular child is the son of someone you considered a friend," Cuddy said. No matter what, she realized how hard this had to be for Wilson. Treating the child of someone you once considered a friend had to difficult.

"I'm trying hard not to think about that," Wilson said before going back to the scans he had in his hands. He placed them on the wall and examined them. His face became immediately sobered. "Oh God."

"What is it?"

"These are Logan's scans. It's not good."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

House was in Wilson's office sitting in front of him. He had to say that this was weird. He never thought he'd have this kind of conversation with Wilson. The type where the other man would lay out treatment plans and prognoses. It was not a conversation he wanted to have either, but it was unavoidable. His son was sick. He had to know how to make him better. "Alright, let's have it. And don't give me any of the crap you give your other patients' families. I don't wanna hear about hope or the statistics for beating the odds. I don't need you to treat me like I'm new to the medical field. Just give it to me straight."

Wilson nodded after a minute. "Okay. Well, the first thing you need to know is that I confirmed the original diagnosis of Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma."

"I wasn't really expecting anything different. How about telling me something I don't already know?" House asked impatiently.

Wilson sighed. He was really not looking forward to this. What he had to say was not good. "I compared the scans I just took with the ones from the original physician. The original scans showed a tumor about four centimeters big in the neck area. It was close to the spinal cord, but far enough away that we could safely operate. My scans, however, show that the tumor has grown another full centimeter."

House took a deep breath as sheer terror began to take over. The tumor was already growing. This was bad. His little boy was getting worse. They had to do something now before it was too late. "You've gotta take him into surgery. You have to remove it now before it gets any worse."

"I can't. With the way tumor grew, it is now dangerously close to Logan's spinal cord cord. If I try to remove it, I could paralyze him," Wilson said sadly. He hated this. He hated having to tell anyone this kind of news, but especially House. Cuddly was right. It was worse because he knew House.

House felt his fear rise even further. He was facing the very real possibility of losing his son and it was tearing him apart. He couldn't lose Logan. It would kill him. There would be no coming back from it.

Wilson saw gripping fear come across House's face. It unnerved him. He'd never seen him like this. It seemed he was seeing a lot of things in House he'd never seen before. "House, listen to me. I knew this is scary, but it is not over. I know you didn't wanna hear words like hope, but there is hope. Logan still has decent odds."

"The tumor is inoperable," House said.

"It's inoperable now, but maybe with a few rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, we will be able to operate. If we can shrink it enough, we'll still be able to take it out," Wilson said.

"I need to get out of here for a few minutes," House said before standing up.

"I understand, but come back soon," Wilson said. There was still much to be discussed as far as Logan's treatment went, but he could tell that House couldn't go on right now. It was best that he did take a few minutes because this conversation would only get more intense.

House nodded and headed for the door.

"House," Wilson called just as the man reached the door. He waited for him to turn before going on. "I will do everything I can to save Logan's life.

House stared at him for a minute before walking out.-


	5. Chapter 5

Taub walked into the office in Diagnostics and found Chase sitting at the table doing his charting. "Hey, where's Forman."

Chase looked up. "He's in the clinic. Why?"

"You're never gonna believe who I just saw," Taub said.

Chase raised an eyebrow as if to ask who.

"House," Taub said. He'd seen him just a few minutes ago coming out of Wilson's office. He'd been shocked to see him. He never thought he would ever see House again. He figured the man wouldn't dare come back to the hospital that Cuddy ran.

Chase snorted. "Yeah, right. Good one."

"I'm serious. He just came out of Wilson's office," Taub said.

"Not falling for it. If House put one foot in this building, Cuddy would have him arrested," Chase said. Cuddy had made no secret of her ire towards House after what he did. There was no way she'd let him in the building.

"Well, either she doesn't know he's here or she changed her mind. She could've changed her mind. It has been five years after all. Maybe she's forgiven him and hired him back. Though I don't think that's gonna make Forman very happy," Taub said. Forman had taken over the department after House left. He'd been in charge for five years now. If House was back, that meant Forman would have to step down.

"What's not going to make me happy?"

Both doctors turned to see Forman walk in.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, guys," Forman said.

"Taub says he saw House come out of Wilson's office," Chase relayed.

Forman looked at the two of them for a minute and then smiled. "Nice try."

"Why does no one believe me? I'm telling you, I saw him walk out of Wilson's office. He looked the same as he did five years ago," Taub said.

"Cuddy would never allow House back in this building after what he pulled. Either you're screwing with us or you just saw someone that reminded you of House," Forman said.

"I'm telling you it was him. Ask Wilson if you don't believe me. He was here. He probably still is. And given that I can't think of any other reason for why he would be here, I would be worried about your position if I were you. He's probably here for his job back."

Forman looked at Taub for a minute and then walked out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Wilson was in his office looking over Logan's test results again. It was almost like he was expecting them to change if he looked at it long enough. Unfortunately, that wouldn't happen. The only thing that would help Logan now was extensive treatment and the love and support of his father while underwent that treatment.

Wilson soon heard someone enter the room. He immediately began to look up thinking it was House. "Good, you're back. I've…" He trailed off when he realized it wasn't House, but Forman. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Let me guess, grumpy pill addict that carries a cane?" Forman asked.

"You're heard."

"Taub said he saw him coming out of this office. I guess it's true then," Forman said.

"It's true," Wilson confirmed.

"Does Cuddy know he's here?" Forman asked.

"She does," he said.

Forman sighed. He took that to mean that Taub was right and House was being hired as head of Diagnostics once more. Needless to say he was less than thrilled as that would mean he'd be taking a step down. "So how long do I have?"

"Excuse me?" Wilson asked.

"A day? A week? How long before House takes what I have?" Forman asked.

"Forman, this is not about your damn job! There are more important things than that!" Wilson snapped in irritation. He instantly regretted it. Forman didn't know about Logan so he couldn't really be expected to believe House was here for any reason other than a job. He was just really worried about House and Logan and he took it out on the first person he saw. "I'm sorry. Look, your job is safe. Even if Cuddy was willing to hire him back, which she's not, it'd be the last thing on his mind right now."

Forman frowned. After Wilson's little outburst, he knew something serious had happened. "What's going on, Wilson?"

"I can't tell you. You'll find out anyway, but it can't be from me. Just know that House has a lot on his plate right now. Trust me, he's not going to be up to treating anybody for a very long time," Wilson said.

"Is he sick? I mean, is he really sick this time?" Forman asked. It wasn't the first time it was discovered that House was 'sick'. The last time he'd been faking, but maybe he really was sick this time and that was why he was seeing Wilson, not as a friend, but as a patient.

"I can't, Forman. Your job is safe. Just leave it at that," Wilson said.

Forman looked like he wanted to press Wilson some more, but realized this was all he was gonna get and headed out of the office.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

House sat on a bench in the lobby with a bottle of Vicodin in his hands. He'd grabbed it from a med cart on his way from Wilson's office. He hadn't taken any yet. He was just staring at the bottle. If there was any time for him to want to start using again, it was now. The temptation to take a pill and try to numb the fear he was feeling right now was greater than it ever had been in the past.

"How long has it been?"

House looked over to see Wilson standing next to him. "What makes you think I haven't been taking them the whole time?"

"The fact that you just keep staring at the bottle. So how long?" Wilson asked again.

House sighed and looked back down at the bottle. "Three years, four months, and two days."

"Since Logan was born I'm guessing. You stopped for your son. Is he really gonna be the reason you start up again?" Wilson asked.

House didn't reply.

Wilson sat down next to House. "I can't possibly know what this is like for you. I think we established that, but I can see the agony that it's causing you. You love your son and you don't feel like there's anything you can do for him. You're wrong. You can't fix him. I'm the one that is left with that task, and I will do everything in my power to succeed. But you can be there with him. You can fight for him. And you need to do that. He can't do this without you. You need to be there for him one hundred percent. You can't be partially there and partially inside that bottle.

House knew Wilson was right. Taking the pills would be a mistake. They wouldn't really help. The pain and fear would still be there. His mind would just be a little more clouded from the drugs. Besides, he'd promised when Logan was born that he'd never take another pill again. Was he really prepared to break that now?

Wilson held out his hand. "Give me the pills, House. Give me the pills and come back into my office so that we can figure out the best course of action for helping your son."

House looked at the pills for another second and then slowly put them in Wilson's waiting hand. "Help me. Help me save him."

"Anyway I can," Wilson said before standing up. "Come on."

House slowly got up and followed Wilson towards the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

House found himself back in Wilson's office waiting to hear the plan he'd come up with for Logan's treatment. He took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for what he was about to hear. He doubted it would do much good though.

"Okay, so you know that as of right now, surgery isn't possible. As I said before, I'm hoping that we can shrink it so we can operate. In order to do that, several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation are necessary. I don't think I need to tell you that this is going to be a very long and very rough road. We're talking about several months of intensive treatment," Wilson said.

"Yeah, I'm a doctor too, Wilson. I'm very well aware of the implications of cancer. Just give me your plan," House said.

Wilson opened a file that laid in front of him. "I've come up with a treatment plan that I think will be effective. You're not gonna like it though."

"Is there anything about this you think I do like? Let me see it," House said as he held his hand out for the file.

Wilson hesitated. He didn't normally let patients or patients' families actually see his treatment plans. He would normally explain it to them as easily and as gently as he could. However, House wasn't most family members. He was a doctor himself, so he would understand it better and the others, and he was not the type to want to be placated with gentle words. He wanted the cold ugly truth.

Wilson sighed and handed over the file.

House went over the plan and then looked up at Wilson in disbelief. "Are you insane? You wanna put him on three high dose chemotherapy drugs with doses every day for a week. You give him three weeks off and then you wanna put him straight into radiation. Then more Chemo, then radiation. You're gonna make him sicker than the disease is now."

Wilson wasn't surprised by the reaction. House might be a doctor and he might realize why such extreme measures were being taken if it was anyone else, but at this moment, he was nothing but a parent. All he could see was the amount of pain this was all going to cause his little boy. "House, I know that this is scary. I know it seems like we're torturing him. But you know this is necessary. You know how aggressive this cancer can be. The tumor is already growing. We have to put up a strong fight to make sure that we not only stop it from growing, but also get it to shrink. This is the best course of action."

House sighed. He knew Wilson was right. RMS was an extremely aggressive cancer, even if it was highly treatable most of the time. It wouldn't be long before the cancer spread further or metastasized elsewhere. They had to stop that from happening. "How long? How much of this are you gonna put him through?"

"I wanna do two cycles each. As soon as the chemo cycle ends, we'll start radiation. And we'll repeat that process," Wilson said.

"Four months. We're talking four months," House said. A chemotherapy cycle was a month long, so Logan would spend a month undergoing that and a month undergoing radiation. Then it would start all over again for the second cycle.

"Like I said, it's a long process," Wilson said.

"Yeah, I know. And it doesn't even end there. Even if you're able to remove the tumor then, you're gonna put him through it all again for several more months after surgery. What if the tumor doesn't shrink after four months?" House asked.

"Let's not go there yet. Let's just see what happens after this plan is complete," Wilson said.

"H…he's only three. How is he supposed to handle this? He's going to be sick and in pain all the time and he's not gonna understand it. How is he supposed to cope with that?" House asked. He was so worried about his little boy. He knew what it was like to constantly be in agony. It was a nightmare, and he was an adult. It would be about a hundred times worse for a toddler.

"House, I won't pretend it's gonna be easy. It's going to be hell for both of you. I'm not sure who it'll be worse for. Logan who actually has to go though it or you who has to watch it. Just know that you're not alone. I don't consider treating Logan to be my only job. My job is also to help you and Logan get through that treatment. That means being around to talk if you need it or even just being a comforting hand for you both.

House could've laughed if the situation weren't so utterly devastating. He'd spent many times laughing at Wilson for words just like this to his patients and his patients' families. It was pretty damn ironic that he was in the one Wilson was saying these things to now. "How many times have I mocked you for this? For caring too much about your cancer patients?"

"More times than I can count," Wilson said.

"I never thought I'd be on the receiving end of one of your conversations with patients' families," House said.

"I know. Neither did I," Wilson said. He never thought he'd be talking to House like this. More than that, he wished he never had. He didn't enjoy giving House terrible news or talking to him about different treatments for his cancer stricken son.

"I also never thought I'd be saying this. I need what you're offering. What happened today… I'm not so sure I would've been able to resist the urge to take those pills if you hadn't shown up," House said honestly.

Wilson wanted to tell House that he would've stopped himself, but he realized that there was a very good chance he wouldn't have. House was an addict and always would be. Every day he didn't use was feat. The temptation was even worse with stress, and there was no stress bigger than facing the reality of possibly losing your child. "The important thing is you didn't take them. It doesn't matter why you stopped."

"But I wanted to and that temptation is only going to get worse. This whole thing is gonna get worse. It's very likely that I'm gonna need you to stop me again. I'm gonna need your support," House said. It wasn't very often that he admitted needing help. It was very difficult for him. But he did need Wilson. He needed all the help he could get. He could not do this alone.

"You have me. I will be here until it's over. Maybe even after," Wilson said. It seemed Cuddy was right. He was getting pulled back in, even if it was unintentional on House's part. He just couldn't abandon House. The man needed him now more than ever. He needed him to be his friend as well as his son's doctor.

"So what now? When do we start?" House asked.

"Tomorrow. We'll start the first round of chemo tomorrow. I wanna keep Logan the entire week he undergoes treatment, but after that, as long as he handles it okay, you can take him home. Radiation can be done on an outpatient basis, but because he's so young and it's so rigorous, I do want him here inpatient for all chemo periods," Wilson said.

"He's not gonna know. He's just gonna start getting sick and he' not gonna know why," House said. It was tearing him apart even thinking about it. This was going to make his son absolutely miserable. He didn't want to think about his happy little boy in that kind of agony.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was another way, but there isn't," Wilson said sadly.

House stood up from his seat. "I need to be with my son."

Wilson nodded. "Of course. Go ahead. If you have any more questions, come see me or have me paged."

House nodded and walked towards the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Cuddy fumed as she made her way to Wilson's office. He had been there less than a full day and she was already ready to murder House. She'd just received word from a nurse that a bottle of Vicodin had gone missing from a med cart. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened to it.

Cuddy made it to Wilson's office and burst it open. "Okay, where is he?"

Wilson looked up startled and confused. "Where's who?"

"You know damn well who! Where's House?" Cuddy demanded to know.

"He's with his son, probably making the most of the last day before the cancer treatments start. Why? I thought you wanted to stay away from him," Wilson said.

"Yeah, well apparently he had other plans. He took a bottle of Vicodin from a med cart," Cuddy said through gritted teeth.

Wilson groaned before fumbling around in his lab coat. He'd meant to return those pills, but he'd forgotten in the midst of helping House deal with Logan's condition.

"This is not gonna happen, Wilson. If he wants to get high, that's fine, but he's not gonna steal from this hospital, and you'd better not give him a script either," Cuddy warned. She would be damned if House compromised her hospital or any of the doctors inside it.

Wilson produced the pills and placed them on his desk so Cuddy could see. "They're all there. You can count them if you want. He didn't take any of them."

"Because you got there and took them away. I'm not dealing with this Wilson. He's not stealing from this hospital!" Cuddy said firmly.

"It was a moment of weakness. I'd just told him his son's tumor was inoperable. And I didn't take them from him. I asked him to give them to me and he did. He knew taking them wasn't the right move. He was just scared and looking for a way to get through it," Wilson said.

Cuddy shook her head in frustration. "And you still say he's not pulling you back in."

Wilson sighed. "Cuddy, what do you want me to do? You want me to condemn him for showing the slightest sign of weakness in the face of the worst situation a parent can be faced with? He grabbed one bottle of pills and he didn't even take any. Yes, he took them with the intention of using, but what do you expect? He's an addict. He's always going to be tempted to start using again. That temptation is going to be ten times worse under stress. I think we can both agree that this situation qualifies."

"You say that like he hasn't been taking them this whole time," Cuddy said.

"He hasn't. He's been clean for over three years, since the birth of his son," Wilson said.

"Oh, I'm sure he told you that," Cuddy said. She had no doubt that House had fed Wilson that lie, but she didn't buy for one minute that it was true. House wouldn't have gone that long. Yes, he gone a good long while before, but he still went back to it. He always would. He was incapable of dealing with real life without the pills. He'd proved that the last time he went back to them.

"He has no reason to lie to me. You think he gives a damn what I think right now? He couldn't care less. The only thing he cares about right now is the little boy that is fighting for his life. You know, I know you're angry at House, Cuddy. You have every right to be. What House did to you was terrible. But can you really find no compassion for a man who's facing the possible loss of his child?" Wilson asked.

Cuddy looked away. She had been and was still trying not to think about that. She wasn't heartless. She knew if she thought about it too much, she would find herself feeling for House. She was trying to avoid that at all costs. The only thing she wanted to feel for House was hatred. She didn't want to feel sorry for him. She didn't want to feel compassion for him. That would take away from the ire she felt. So she tried not to even think about the situation House was going through right now

"Cuddy, no matter what he's done, he doesn't deserve this. No one does. You of all people should know the terror that a sick child brings. You remember last year when Rachel had Pneumonia?" Wilson asked.

Cuddy shuddered just at the thought. Of course she remembered. Rachel had gotten extremely sick. Her temperature got dangerously high and she nearly died. It had been the scariest week of her entire life.

Cuddy's thoughts immediately went to House and his little boy. That child had cancer. He wasn't going to get better in a week. He wasn't even going to get better in a month. If he got better at all, it wouldn't be for a very long time. House had months and months of fear and watching his son get worse. It would be a living hell. "Oh, God."

Wilson sighed. He'd gotten through. Cuddy had finally seen the hell this was causing House. "You were trying not to think about it, huh. I tried too."

Cuddy walked over and sat down in the chair in front of Wilson. "I don't wanna feel sorry for House. I shouldn't have to."

"Feeling sorry for him doesn't mean you have to forgive him, Cuddy. No one expects you to forgive him. All this means is that you're human and you have compassion for a fellow parent. It's not wrong. Quite the opposite really," Wilson said.

"You feel sorry for him and he pulled you back in, whether he meant to or not. I can't let that happen to me," Cuddy said. She would not forgive House. She would not be one of those stupid women who forgave a man who was violent with her. While House had never hit her, crashing his car into her house was an act of violence towards her.

"It's different. He didn't do anything to me. No one is asking or expecting you to forgive House. You don't even have to talk to him. Just try to give him a little leeway. He's going through hell right now. Try to understand that," Wilson said.

Cuddy sighed. "Okay. But he's your responsibility. You keep him in check and out of the pharmacy."

Wilson nodded. "I'll do my best."

Cuddy got up and headed out of the office.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

House walked into his son's room carrying a paper bag. Logan was sitting up in bed pouting at the food that was currently in front of him. House couldn't blame him for that. It was some kind of soup that looked barely edible. "Hey, buddy."

"Hi, Daddy," Logan said miserably.

House walked over and pulled the food tray away from the bed. "Let's get rid of this. You don't want that, do you? I have something better."

"What is it?" Logan asked excitedly.

House smirked and pulled a burger out of the bag. Technically, he wasn't supposed to bring in food from outside. It was against the rules to bring in outside food. But he didn't really give a crap. His son wasn't going to want to eat anything after tomorrow. The least he could do was make the last meal the little boy would want for a while good.

"Yay!" Logan said as he reached for the food.

House smiled and sat on the side of the bed. He then unwrapped the burger and handed it to the young boy.

Logan happily took the burger and began to eat.

"So Daddy has something he has to tell you. Tomorrow Doctor Wilson is gonna come in here and he's gonna give you some medicine. It's not gonna feel so good for a while, but it's gonna make you better," House said. He felt he had to explain at least some of what was going to happen. He doubted the three-year-old would understand, but he had to try.

"Why? I'm not sick," Logan said.

"Well, I know you don't feel sick, but you are kind of sick. But it's okay because Doctor Wilson is gonna make you better. It's just that it's gonna take a little while," House said.

"Do I have to get another shot?" Logan asked worried.

"No, not for the medicine tomorrow. You see this?" House asked as he pointed to his son's IV.

"I don't like it," Logan told his father.

"I know you don't," House said. Logan had been very upset when the IV first went in. He started crying to have it taken out. He eventually calmed down, but he still didn't want it. "But that's where the medicine's gonna go. You won't even feel it when it goes in.

"Oh, okay. Can I have some juice?" Logan asked.

"Yeah," House said before going over to a duffle bag in the corner. He opened it and pulled out a grape juice box. He put the straw in and brought it back over to this son.

"Thank you," Logan said before he started to drink.

House watched his son. The kid was so content right now. He only wished it would stay that way.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, House was by Logan's side playing with him. He was trying to distract Logan and himself from what was about to happen.

Logan was stacking a bunch of block on top of each other using the food table for a surface. Like every little boy his age, he loved seeing how much he could stack until it crashed.

House watched as his son placed a sixth block on top and it fell over. He grinned at the little boy. "Nice job."

"When can we go home? I don't like it here?" Logan said as he started stacking again

"Yeah, I know. It's not too fun here, is it?" House asked. Just then, he heard the door open. He turned to see one of the nurses coming in with everything needed for Logan's treatment.

House took a deep breath as his nerves started to get racked up. He was not looking forward to this. The treatment itself was going to be hard on Logan. The kid was not going to take well to sitting still during the lengthy treatment process. Then of course there were the side effects that wouldn't be far behind.

"Good morning. I have a pill for Logan to take. Doctor Wilson wants him to take an anti-nausea pill. It's to help with the…"

"Yes, I know what an ant-nausea drug is. I would know that even without a medical degree. It's kind of self-evident," House said slowly as thought the woman he was speaking to were a child. He then snatched the small cup with pill in it out of her hands. He took the pill out and turned to his son. "Open your mouth, pal."

"What is it?" Logan asked.

"It's medicine. It's gonna help you later," House said. Actually, he very much doubted it was going to do very much at all. Those pills barely took the edge off when it came to the effects of chemotherapy.

Logan seemed hesitant to take it.

"It's alright. It's like when I give you the pills at home when you're not feeling good. You won't taste anything," House promised.

Logan slowly opened his mouth.

House placed the pill under his son's tongue and then poured him some water. "Drink that swallow.

Logan brought the straw up to his mouth and started drinking.

"Good boy," House said.

"Doctor Wilson will be in soon to administer the treatment," the nurse said before heading out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Wilson made his way towards Logan's room. He was not looking forward to this. He didn't look forward to administering any chemo treatments, especially to children, but it was going to be twice as hard to watch House try to make this okay for his son.

Wilson walked inside Logan's room. "Good morning, you two."

House got up and approached Wilson. "Hey."

"Hi. I guess you didn't get much sleep last night," Wilson said. He could tell he hadn't. There were bags under his eyes. "I can arrange to have a cot brought in tonight so you can sleep better.

"Had nothing to do with that. I haven't slept decently since the diagnosis," House said All he ever did was have nightmares when he slept, nightmares of losing his little boy He would rather never sleep again than have that flood around dreams.

Wilson sighed. "Well, you can't continue like that, House. If you're going to be any use to your little boy, you're gonna need to get some rest. How's your leg doing?"

"That's unimportant right now. Let's just get this over with," House said.

Wilson decided to let it drop for now, but he was by no means going to let it go indefinitely. House needed to take care of himself in order to take care of Logan. "I'm gonna need you to keep him distracted. I need him relatively still for this."

"Yeah, I got it," House assured his friend.

Wilson went over to Logan. "Hi, Logan."

"Hi," the little boy said.

"Did your daddy tell you what's going to happen today?" Wilson asked.

Logan nodded. "You're gonna give me medicine to make me better. No shots."

"No, no shots for the medicine," Wilson promised. He then nodded to House to start talking to Logan so he could begin the treatment.

"Hey, buddy, guess what I brought," House said before going over to his duffle bag and pulling out a children's book. It was a book on different types of animals. It had a panel on the side with buttons to push for the sounds of the different animals. It was Logan's favorite.

Logan's eyes lit up. "Yay, my animal book!"

"You don't wanna look at his, do you? I should just put it away. You don't want this," House teased.

"No, I want it, Daddy. Read it, please," Logan requested.

"Well, it you're sure," House said before bringing the book over to his son and sitting next to him.

Meanwhile, Wilson injected the first chemo drug with ease. Logan didn't even seem to notice him at all. He was too engrossed with his father and the book.

House read the first page and the showed his son the picture, which was of a dog playing in a yard. "What sound does the dog make?"

"Bark, bark!" Logan said loudly.

"What? No, he doesn't. He goes 'meow'," House said teasingly.

"No, that's a kitty," Logan said.

"What? A kitty? Are you sure?" House asked sounding unbelieving.

Wilson smiled at the scene before him. Every time he saw Logan and House together, he was mesmerized. Logan brought out a side to House that Wilson didn't even know existed. It was of pure love, selflessness, and happiness. House had been more happy in the moments that he was with Logan than in the many years Wilson had seen him. He really loved that little boy. That was why Wilson had to save Logan. It was a necessity because if Logan died, House would too.

Logan pressed a button on the side panel on the book. The sound of a 'meow' could be heard throughout the room. "See, Daddy? The kitty goes 'meow'."

"Wow. Well, that's shocking. I think we should press the dog too just to make sure you're right about that too," House said.

Logan pressed on the picture of the dog and 'bark, bark' was heard. The little boy immediately started giggling. "See?"

"Well, it looks like you were right again. Showoff," House joked before he began reading once more. It took him about twenty minutes to go through the entire book because he stopped with every page and started talking with Logan about the different sounds.

"Wow, that was a good book, and guess what. I'm done," Wilson said.

"You are?" Logan asked surprised.

"Yup. You were a very brave little boy. One of my bravest patients so far," Wilson said before standing up. Well, it was almost done anyway. The last medication was dripping into his IV, but Logan wouldn't notice and there was no reason for Wilson to stay.

House got up as well. "I'll be right back, buddy," he told his son before following Wilson into the hall.

"Nice job. He didn't even realize anything was happening," Wilson said

"Well, all you were doing was putting drugs into an IV. Still, if he had seen the syringe, he would've flipped," House said.

"Most kids would. That's why it was good how you distracted him. Uh, the last drug will take a while longer to finish, but he shouldn't notice it at all. I'll be back to check on him in a little while," Wilson said.

House nodded and watched him leave. He was about to go back into Logan's room when he felt a presence behind him. He turned to see Cuddy standing there with a determined look on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

Cuddy stared at House for several moments. She'd tried really hard not to see him. She didn't want to see him. She had even told Wilson to keep him away from her because she didn't want to deal with him. But she couldn't get him out of her head. The anger she felt for him got worse and worse since he arrived. It had even kept her from sleeping the night before. She wouldn't let that continue. House did not get to invade her head like this, and the only way she could think of to stop it was to confront him once and for all.

"What?" House asked impatiently. He'd been standing there waiting for Cuddy start in on him. He wanted to get this whole thing over with so it would be done and he could go back to focusing on his son. But she'd yet to say a word. She just kept staring at him with that hateful glare, and while he couldn't blame her for it, he didn't have time to deal with it.

Cuddy huffed in anger. She couldn't believe that House had the nerve to act like it was an inconvenience for him to stand there and face her. Actually, she could believe it. This was House after all. Still, she was angry that he didn't even pretend to be sorry. "You really have nothing to say to me."

"You don't wanna hear anything I have to say. You just wanna stand here and scream at me. You wanna tell me how much you hate. Go ahead and get it over with. I have other things I could be doing with right now," House said.

"You crashed a car into my house!" Cuddy said through gritted teeth.

"I'm aware," House said.

"Do you even care what you did to me? Do you have any idea what it was like to live with what you did? Everyone knew what you did. I couldn't even walk down these halls without everyone sending me looks or whispering behind my back," Cuddy said. It had been awful. She could practically feel the pity coming off everyone, not to mention the gossip that it caused. It took her months before she was able to get back any sort of normal at the hospital or at home.

House felt the guilt way down on him. He had hurt one person he cared about the most, as that was what Cuddy was back then. Until Logan was born, she was the most important thing to him. And he'd nearly destroyed her. He'd never forgive himself for that. But he wouldn't let her see that. Not only did he not have the time for it, he couldn't let her see him vulnerable. He swore a long time ago that she would never see him vulnerable again. "Well, you're fine now, aren't you? What does it matter?"

"You bastard! You destroy my house and you have the nerve to act like it's nothing?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Cuddy yelled angrily.

"What do you want from me?! I can't change what happened. What exactly do you want me to do?" House asked.

"I want you to pay! I want you to for once face the consequences of your actions! I want you to feel some kind of remorse for what you did to me! But you're incapable of that, aren't you. You feel nothing for anybody but yourself!"

"You don't know a damn thing about what I feel. You don't know anything about me anymore," House said. He was starting to get really angry. Who was Cuddy to tell him how he felt? Yes, he'd hurt her, but that didn't give her the right to tell him he didn't care about anyone else. He cared about her and he cared about his son.

"I wonder if I ever knew you," Cuddy said. If anyone had told her before the whole thing at her house happened that it would happen, she never would've believed him capable of it, so yeah, she wondered if she really ever knew him at all

"So do I," House said.

There was silence between the two of them for a few moments before Cuddy spoke again. "You really don't think you there's anything you should say to me?"

"Once again, you don't want to hear what I have to say. You don't want an apology. You want me to suffer," House said.

"Well, why shouldn't I. You made me suffer. You put me in hell!" Cuddy practically growled.

House took a couple of steps towards her and glared. "Hell? You think you were in hell? Why, because you experienced a few pitiful looks and had to find a new place to live?"

"You dare try to minimize what I went through?!" Cuddy yelled angrily.

"No. You wanna hate me for what I did, you go right ahead, but don't pretend it's the end of the world. Don't insult those with bigger problems by calling it hell. You wanna see real hell? Look into that room right there," House said as he pointed to the clear doors that his son was currently behind, oblivious what was going on.

Cuddy did as House said and was faced with a little boy that looked almost exactly like House. There was no doubt whatsoever that that was House's little boy.

"That right there is hell. Feeling a bump on your son's neck and realizing what's wrong with him before you even get the diagnosis is hell. Having it confirmed that your child has cancer is hell. Watching your son go through chemotherapy, knowing full well that it'll make him sicker than the disease is hell. Wondering every moment of every day if he's going to live to see another year is hell!" By the time House was finished he was yelling so loud that practically everyone in the hospital should be able to hear him.

"Daddy!" Logan's voice called from the next room.

"You wanted me to suffer, Cuddy? Well, congratulations, you got your wish," House said before walking away from her and going into his son's room.

Cuddy watched him go. She knew she should leave, but she couldn't bring herself to, and before she knew it, she was standing by the door of room House and his little boy were in watching them.

"You were yelling," Logan was saying.

"I know. I'm sorry. Daddy got a little bit mad," House told his son.

"Why are you mad?" Logan asked.

"Uh, sometimes people just get mad. But I'm not mad anymore and I was never mad at you, so it doesn't matter," House told him.

Cuddy watched the scene in shock. She'd never heard House speak like this to anyone, not even a child. Even with Rachel, he was sarcastic most of the time. He was never downright mean to her, but he was far from sweet either. This little boy, however, saw a side to House that no one else had ever seen.

"I don't like it when you yell," Logan said.

"I'm not gonna yell anymore. Everything's okay now," House reassured his son.

Cuddy pulled herself away from the doorway. She couldn't stay there any longer. Watching that scene made her feel things that she didn't want to feel. She could not let House back in the way Wilson had, no matter how good he was with that little boy. She had to think of him as the bastard that crashed into her house. She just had to. It was the only way she would survive.


	10. Chapter 10

House was sitting on the bench outside of Logan's room while Wilson examined him. So far his little boy didn't seem to be exhibiting any side effects from the chemo, but it was still very early. It was only a matter of time before he started to get sick.

Wilson soon came out. "Hey. He seems to be responding well to the chemo. There's no sign of infection or adverse effects. I'm sure you know though that there will be side effects."

House nodded mutely.

Wilson went over and sat next to House. "I heard what happened earlier." The confrontation between House and Cuddy had been the talk of the hospital. Half the employees and patients had heard the explosion."

"Of course you did. We all know how much of a little girl you are when it comes to extracting gossip," House joked.

"From what I hear it was quite the explosion. You both gave as good as you got," Wilson said.

"And let me guess, you're here to tell me what a bastard I am for daring to yell back," House predicted.

"House, I've made no secret about how I feel about what you did to Cuddy. You drove a car into her house and caused her a world of pain. You deserve any hell she wants to give you for that. But not less than five minutes after I injected your son with high dose chemotherapy," Wilson said. He couldn't really blame House for getting mad under the circumstances. His only concern thus far had been seeing Logan through this tragedy. Cuddy shouldn't have confronted him the way she did, and certainly not outside Logan's room.

"She doesn't care about that," House said. Cuddy had proven that by coming at him at the time and place she did. All she cared about was seeing him suffer. Though he couldn't really blame her for that.

"Come on, House, that's not true. If she really didn't care, you'd be in a jail cell right now. Logan's illness is the only thing that stopped her. Look, you can't expect her to be happy that you're here or forget that what happened. She went about it the wrong way, but her anger is justified."

"I don't care. I don't care how angry Cuddy is. I don't care about anything right now except that little boy in there. I don't have the time or energy to waste on anything else," House said. Even he knew how cold and heartless he sounded right now, but he just didn't care right now. His child was fighting for his life, and if he lost that fight, no amount of remorse House felt would matter because he'd be done for. Not even Cuddy's forgiveness could bring him back from that.

"Maybe you should consider taking Logan somewhere else. I could go with you. I have privileges at Princeton General. I can take a leave of absence and treat him there," Wilson suggested. Even as he said it though, he knew it wasn't a great option. It would set Logan's treatment back as the head of Oncology there would be in charge, not him. The doctor there would spend at least a day going over test results and then longer reviewing treatment plans. But House and Cuddy at each other's throats here wouldn't be much better."

"Hell no. That would suspend Logan's treatment for at least a week. The idiot doctors there would be in charge, not you, and they would waist days going over things we already know. Logan's already in treatment here and he likes you. Moving him now would be in my best interests and Cuddy's, not Logan's," House said. Honestly, a part of him would love going to another hospital to get away from Cuddy, but he wouldn't do that. This was about Logan, not him.

"Well, then you're going to have to figure this thing out with Cuddy. You can't be holding screaming matches right outside your son's room. Even if he doesn't hear it, your demeanor each time is going to affect his recover," Wilson said seriously.

"Hey, I didn't ask for this, okay? As you put it, she cornered me. I wasn't even going to fight with her. I planned to let her just say what she wanted and then leave, but I lost my temper," House said.

"House, do you regret what you did?" Wilson asked. So far he hadn't heard even a shred of remorse from House. He was so loving and understanding with Logan, but with Cuddy he just sounded so cold, like nothing had changed since that fateful day. Yet, Wilson just couldn't believe that House felt nothing for Cuddy and what he did to her.

"I told you, it doesn't matter right now what…"

"Don't give me that. Logan may be part of it, but I think you'd be acting like this either way. You don't want anyone knowing how you really feel about anything, especially her. The only real exception seems to be your son. When it comes to him, you have no problem showing emotion. But House, I was affected by what you did that day too. I think I have a right to hear how you feel about it. I'm not asking you to tell Cuddy you're sorry. I'm asking you to tell me," Wilson said.'

"What difference would it make now? It was five years ago," House said.

"It would make a difference to me, and believe it or not, I think it would make a difference to Cuddy too. Come on, House, just talk to me. Tell me how…"

"Alright! I regret it!" House blurted out sharply. "More than you'll ever know."

"Why'd you do it?" Wilson asked.

"You're not that stupid, Wilson. You know why I did it. I was pissed. I saw her in the window with that guy and I lost it. She looked happy. She'd moved on. I was angry at her. I wanted her to feel what I felt. I thought I was in hell and I wanted her there too. I didn't know what hell was, neither does she," House said. Like he'd told Cuddy, that night wasn't hell and neither was the breakup. None of that was anything compared to what he was going through now.

"Well, it worked. You did hurt her," Wilson said.

"I was wrong. It didn't take long for me to realize that. But it wasn't like I could rewind time and change it," House said.

"So why didn't you come back or call? Let her know you felt this way?" Wilson asked.

"Because it wouldn't have mattered, then or now. She doesn't care how sorry I as. She says she does, but all she really wants is to see me suffer. I know that because that's exactly what I wanted from her that night. Luckily for her, she doesn't even have to lift a finger to see that happen," House said.

"House…"

"I'm done with this. I'm going to see my son," House said before standing up and heading for his son's room without another word.


End file.
